Farquharson Park, Midland League, 3/8/22
Me 237, Wee Man 114
Scone Thistle Football Club
Founded – 1882
Nickname– The Jaggy Nettles
Honours – Tayside JFA Division One – 1994/95. East Region Tayside Division One – 2002/03. Tayside League Cup – 2005/06
Random Fact – George Best made a substitute appearance for the club in a friendly match at Farquharson Park in 1982 against Scone Amateurs. Playing the final twenty minutes he scored to make the score 14-0 to the Jaggy Nettles
The bonus of the school holidays are, the country is our oyster and full days out are very welcomed. Today saw us head to Scone Palace for a history lesson and of course having a rummage about in the maze. A quality afternoon of explaining the significance of the Palace and the Stone of Destiny to Wee Man. This and how Alex Ferguson used it as a meeting point for speaking to transfer targets when at Aberdeen. This history obviously came after four times round the maze before we did anything else. The fourth being where I was not allowed to speak or help leading to thirty five bloody minutes stuck in there. The day threw up two firsts, surprisingly I had never been to Scone Palace even in my nipper days touring the country with my folks. Nor had I ever been in a maze. The guts of thirty eight years it took me. A very enjoyable afternoon out and about.
Being where we were and our almost completion of the Midland League it would have been rude not to have took in local side Scone Thistle’s match v Lochee Harp. After a very fine feed at Brown & Blacks, a local restaurant about two minutes from the ground we found ourselves with an hour and a half to burn until kick off. Only one thing to do at a time like that, kick about. So we headed to Farquharson Park and low and behold there was a disused set of goals. Cue the kick about to end all kick abouts. Thousands of shots at Wee Man ensued and a few hundred at me in amongst all the blackcurrants (bushes behind the goal) which clarted the ball, my hands, Wee Man’s shorts and legs. The blood like juice got bloody everywhere and probably ruined a fine pair of my Sambas. During this kick about Harp assistant manager Chris MacPherson appeared and recognized us. This leading to a blether about his side and fortunes for the coming season after what was a struggle last season. It’s a project to be sure. A tough one and I have to credit him and manager Alan McSkimming for taking it on. I also have to credit the big man for supplying me the teams for the night. Chris was the first of many affable folk to blether on the night. As we had been in the place for so long I had avoided paying, so when I went to pay once the gate was set up I was met with what seemed to be gratitude for my honesty. Even though it was only three quid I’m never going to try and steal a night at the fitba. This and I have an addiction to half time draws. Other committee members were spoken to and it seems like Scone have a decent bunch at the club. These people are invaluable to clubs. Especially struggling clubs which Scone have been of late like their visitors.
The game had to be better than the previous night in Bridge of Don and it was thankfully. Harp were on the front foot from the first minute and very early on had Thistle keeper Martin tested, pulling of a decent save with his foot. The Dundee side continued to push and pretty much pinned Scone back. A few half chances came and you could sense a goal was coming and it did through Kyle Buik. A decent build up saw the ball laid back to Buik on the eighteen yard line, he struck goalward and the ball took a heavy deflection giving Martin no chance. A deserved lead given all the early pressure. The lead was almost double not long after but Martin was up to the task, first off the keeper did well to save from a Hopkins effort which he got a solid hand to, but the rebound fell to McVicar who pulled another fine save from Martin which hit the bar and and out for a corner. It took bang on half an hour for Scone to have their first effort on target, this when Kairn Brand made the shorts of Lochart in the Harp goal dirty for the first time with a low effort but it was saved well. Harp should have doubled their lead when Hastie was on his own twenty yards out with Martin stranded ten yards out but he under hit his lobbed effort which gently landed in the stricken keepers arms. The striker had to do better. The last chance of the half fell to Scone and Lewis Finnie who couldn’t believe his luck when he found himself unmarked in the box with as good as a tap in on the volley. Maybe the shock of the space put him off and he didn’t expect it as he got it all wrong and sclaffed wide.
HT 0 v 1
The blackcurrant kickabout resumed despite my protests that I wanted a pie, to which i was told “after half time”. This being important as it led to me missing the foul which led to the Harp being awarded a penalty. As I walked out the snack bar I saw Gary Robertson make no mistake with the kick. I was informed by Wee Man that “number 10 was fouled by someone”. Anyway it was now two nil and looking more like a Harp win incoming. To add the steak pie was worth missing the penalty infringement as it was a delight. The games action increased ten fold and almost immediately we had red card number one of the night. A bit of handbags on the far wing from us saw a Harp man hit the deck. What caused this I am not sure as to mention the great man again, I had “Fergie Syndrome”. By that I mean the players were indecipherable from the punters and it all seemed to merge into one and seeing what was going on was difficult. However there was a stamp and that’s surely the cause of the red card. Much to the dismay of the local Thistle fans. Scones night had just got a hell of a lot harder as Hastie trudged off the park. Then incredibly it was ten v ten straight away. Again I missed the action as the Harp management team blocked our line of sight down the line. We just saw the ref running brandishing the red to goal scorer Robertson. (I have since been informed Robertson was aggrieved at the challenge on him and kicked out needlessly). The ref then became a shambles which was not surprising as some of his decisions had already been rank, now he had got itchy yellow card fingers and couldn’t keep the thing in his pocket. One, maybe two were worthy but the rest were just poor refereeing, despite this both teams were playing some good snappy fast passing football which was good to see. But the ref had to steal the show again and send Thistles Finnie packing for nothing more than a nudge trying to retrieve the ball to get his teams free kick taken quickly. The ref gestured that it was an elbow,which is just pathetic. A terrible game killing decision. To make matters worse the challenge from the Harp man leading to the incident looked naughty from where we were but was forgotten in the aftermath. A poor display from the the card happy man in the middle. The game petered out here barring Harp sub Murray Irvine having the chance to make it three but hashing it ending the game and sending the points up the A90 to Lochee.
A cracking day out with the point of interest, picnic followed with an eventful game at what seems a quality club. Yes their ground doesn’t even seem like it fits criteria to gain access to the Juniors but it is quirky, full of great folk and they are a team that even in adversity keep going. I love these places.
Entrance – £3 Me, £0 Wee Man
Attendance – 78 rough head count but many stragglers who thought a later kick off
Pie – £3.50, steak pie and coffee
Pint – £3.80, Tennents, Brown & Blacks
Pre Match Predictions – Me 2 v 4, Wee Man 3 v 1
Overall Seasons Predictions Score – Me 0 v 0 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 